


girl's night

by beware_of_you



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Chopped discourse??, Cute fluff!!, Emily was a former metalhead, Emily's the best, F/F, Garcia made girls night a thing, JJ misses her kids, Sergio is there, convince me otherwise, cute cuddling!!, don't @ me but Alex was the best temp member, he also just wants attention, he can sense that gay shit from a mile away, it's adorable, it's cute!!, jj ur gay is showing, kinda miss her ngl, she gets way into the cooking shows, soft JJ+Emily for the win!!, you can also really tell my favorites from how I describe them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:55:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23971189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beware_of_you/pseuds/beware_of_you
Summary: Girls night was a tradition that goes back to some of the very early days of the BAU team.....
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss, friendship...???, kinda but also kinda not
Comments: 5
Kudos: 130





	girl's night

Girls night was a tradition that goes back to some of the very early days of the BAU team, back when Elle Greenaway and Jason Gideon were still a part of the team. However, it _hadn't_ exactly been a thing until Penelope Garcia had joined the team.

At the time, she was awkward and a bit intimidated by the fierce looking brunette (she doesn't think she saw Elle Greenaway smile until months after she was settled as the technical analyst) and the seemingly permanently serious media liaison.

But Penelope had a rough first week; the images flashing on her screen of mutilated bodies burned behind her eyelids, Gideon hadn't taken her a bit seriously and she _swears_ if she hears anyone but Derek Morgan call her baby girl _one more time_ , she's going to _explode_. She _needs_ a break from this environment brimming in testosterone.

With a boost of confidence and Aaron Hotchner's promise of a weekend free of the horrors they had subjected themselves to during the week, she had found both Jennifer Jareau and Elle Greenaway just before they headed out of the office for the night and confronted them before they both headed for the elevator.

Crossing her arms over her chest, and seemingly distressed, Garcia had started out with, "Look, I understand I'm the new girl and that I'm not exactly... what's the norm around here, and maybe I'm a bit annoying but I am in some dire need of some girl time. I mean, we're the only women in this department, right? We need to stick together! Girl power and all that!" At Jennifer's amused smile and Elle's wary gaze, Garcia ducks her head in embarrassment at her ramblings.

"I just..." she cuts herself off by going silent, feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything. She feels like that awkward teenager in a new high school, and god, she knows _that_ feeling all too well.

Jennifer places a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "Hey, you're fine, really. You belong on this team. You more than proven your worth with the cases you've helped us with this week. Don't let anyone get to you," she says genuinely.

The sentiment is almost enough to bring tears to Garcia's eyes, but she just smiles wide. "Thank you, Jennifer."

Jennifer shakes her head with another wide, warm smile, palms up in the air, "Please, all my friends call me JJ." Clasping her hands together, she sighs out, "I am in a serious need of some winding down time."

"JJ," Garcia corrects with a grin.

Both women had turned to Elle after that, looking at her with expectant and begging gazes.

Elle looked between them, still unsure. "Well..."

"Come on, you're partnered up with Derek Morgan all week and you're telling us you _don't_ need a break?" JJ had teased.

"Well, when you it like that..." Elle had agreed in amusement. "I got first round."

"Yay, girl's night!" Garcia had hissed excitedly.

"Girl's night," JJ had cheered just as enthusiastically, throwing her arms around the women on either side of her.

And that's how the tradition began.

In the beginning, girl's night was a rare occurrence, once a month if they were lucky. They would go out to local clubs and hang out for a few hours before going their separate ways. Sometimes Elle would come along, but most times she wouldn't. JJ had assured Garcia that it had nothing to do with her; Elle was always just so guarded, so tense that it took a lot for her to let that guard down. More than often if she went out, it was with the whole team or with Derek.

For a while after Elle left, JJ and Garcia found themselves in a steady routine of going out for drinks every weekend that they could after that. They had a strong bond that had only been growing stronger by that first conversation. With Elle gone, it was a lot harder being the only women on the team, and the cases the BAU received only got more intense.

Girl's nights were the _best_ when Emily Prentiss joined the team.

As the daughter of an ambassador, JJ had to admit that she had assumed the new member of the team was going to be more guarded than Elle ever was. Maybe a bit of a stick in the mud. JJ wasn't even sure if Garcia could coax the woman out into coming.

However, Emily let loose easily on that first girl's night and by the end of the night JJ's stomach had hurt from laughing so hard at their new colleagues antics.

"This bitch, right here, is the best!" Garcia had drunkenly whooped that first night, throwing an arm around Emily's shoulder, who had grinned in response. The three had become nearly inseparable after that night, and religiously held a girl's night any time they could.

When JJ had gotten pregnant with Henry, girl's nights were often held at either Garcia's or JJ's apartment, and far less alcohol was involved. Often times, Penelope or Emily would bring over non-alcoholic beverages, insisting that since JJ couldn't drink, they wouldn't either.

The women had invited Jordan Todd to girl's night as soon as she joined the unit, but she never seemed to enjoy herself. Jordan always seemed too serious, like she had something she wanted to prove. It was if she was convinced that if she let her mask slip for even a second, it would hinder whatever it was she was trying to prove.

When JJ moved to the state department, girl's night became as rare of an occurrence as they were after Elle left, though Emily and Penelope did invite Ashley Seaver with them whenever they did go out. Ashley let loose easily, and they did have a fun time during those girl's nights. But Ashley always had a better bond with Rossi, and more often than not Emily would long for the girl's night she and Penelope spent with JJ.

After Emily's "death", girl's night seemed to seize. JJ spent most of that time trying not to feel guilty about keeping Emily's secrets safe from the team while Garcia sulked, only somewhat comforted by Emily's cat, Sergio, who she had taken in. Ashley had invited them over to her apartment once during that time, but it ended with Penelope in tears and JJ's stomach clenching painfully from the guilt.

Girl's night when Emily came back almost came back to normal, though not entirely. Emily had changed in the time she was gone. She had an almost permanent haunted look and her smiles never seemed to reach her eyes. JJ, who had her own demons in her closet, understood and never once pushed the older agent for answers.

That's around the time the trio had abandoned going out to clubs and started holding girl's night at their houses or apartments. More often than not, Garcia would host at her apartment because JJ was living with Will and had a child that was just entering his rebellious toddler phase and Emily's apartment was never set up completely; she was living out of her boxes and suitcases ever since she came back.

And then she left for London and girl's night became scarce once more.

Alex Blake was a fun person to hang around. She was a woman that was serious when she was at work, but when JJ and Garcia had coaxed her to come to girl's nights, she was able to really let loose. But much like Ashley, Alex was never fully bonded with Garcia and JJ like she was with other people on the team, specifically Reid. She was more comfortable hanging out with the two when the rest of the team were around, so girl's night seemed to dwindle in favor of team night.

Kate Callahan made girl's night almost as enjoyable as Emily did. She had a positive attitude despite what she had been through, which it made her really relate to Garcia. She was fiercely protective of her niece/adopted daughter Meg, which made her really relate to JJ. She was like a delicate balance of the two, and was definitely bonded to the both of them more than anyone else on the team. Girl's night at this point were almost back to a regular occurrence, and JJ often found herself looking forward to those nights once more.

When Kate left the unit almost as broken and defeated as Ashley and Jordan, it served as a harsh reminder of just how much this job could take out of a person. At this point, things between JJ and Will had been so tense that the fight had gone from her at this point, too. She was done trying, only focusing on what she deemed the most important aspects of her life: her job and her son.

She made up several excuses as to why she couldn't go to most girl's nights with Garcia and the new member of the team, Tara Lewis.

Girl's night stopped for a while after that.

When Emily came back, girl's night picked up at a rapid pace until they were a weekly occurrence once more. Emily hosted them at her sizable apartment: Garcia's apartment was an option, but it was too far away and, more often than not, the other three women would end up in serious traffic trying to battle their way to their own homes or apartments, Tara liked her apartment dearly, but it was too small to host their gatherings comfortably, and with Henry splitting his time between his parents' houses and with a new baby on the way, JJ often felt her house was too messy, too chaotic to host.

Emily's apartment just seemed like the best option.

"Emily's apartment has everything I need anyway; a seemingly unlimited supply of expensive wine and Sergio, the only man I need in my life," Garcia had swooned the first time the four were heading over to the unit chief's house. "I could totally use some Sergio cuddles," JJ pipes up with an enthusiastic nod.

Tara had raised an amused eyebrow at the comments, looking over at Emily with a teasing grin. "Sergio, huh?"

"What can I say? He's a real ladies man," Emily smirked shrugging innocently.

When the four women had entered through Emily's door, they were greeted by the sound of tiny, padding feet, a little bell ringing like mad, and a small, all black cat who's long, continuous meow could be heard from three doors down.

Sergio meowed impatiently, furiously purring as he rubbed his face against Penelope's ankles. "Oh, there's my favorite little man!" she cooed, picking up the cat and grinning when he head butted under her chin.

"I have to say, I am relieved that Sergio is a cat and not an actual man," Tara had admitted with a smirk, scratching the all black feline under the chin with a grin.

And that's how girl's night was permanently held at Emily's apartment and synonymously became known as "Sergio night". Every Friday after work, and if they didn't have a case, the four women would all gather at the unit chief's large apartment for drinks, for gossiping or talking and for _plenty_ of feline love from Sergio.

Sergio _definitely_ loved these nights and looked forward to them the most.

Penelope spoiled him rotten, bringing over whatever bag of cat treats or toys to gift to her "furry godson".

Tara gave him the _best_ under the chin scratches and fawned over him at every little thing he does, despite Emily teasing her that she's only building the cat's ego. More often than not, Sergio would end up on her lap or Garcia's by the end of the night.

The cat loved how springy JJ's slightly curled locks were, and would spend a lot of his time perched on the blonde's shoulder, playing around with it. She also knows which spot he absolutely adores getting scratched on. She's also the only person allowed to give him tummy rubs, much to everyone else's amusement.

Tonight, he's perched comfortably on Garcia's lap, curled up in a purring, content ball. He suddenly lifts his head, staring through heavy lids over at JJ. Slowly blinking, he stands from Penelope's lap and yawns, claws digging in her leggings before he slowly strides over, plopping himself back down in JJ's lap.

Emily watches her cat's movements slowly, trying not to let her concern for her coworker and best friend show. She doubts Penelope or Tara notice JJ's behavior, but she sure does. It's subtle things about her behavior, like how her smiles never seem genuine, or how her eyes glaze over during longer bits of conversation, or how her responses don't seem _all_ there.

It's not _unusual_ for Sergio to go over with JJ; he's an attention hog through and through. But the way he lounges out, his arms sticking out and his cheek resting on her stomach is certainly weird. It's like the cat can sense something off about her, too, and wanted to do whatever he could to console her.

 _"Good boy, Serg_ ," she thinks, grateful that her cat is providing some comfort she wishes she could give to JJ. Maybe he deserves a handful of treats after everyone leaves for the night.

"Fair well, sweet prince," Penelope pouts dramatically, reaching out before grabbing her wine glass and taking a sip. "Everyone deserves some Sergio love, I suppose."

"I think he just wants belly rubs. Don't you, handsome?" JJ coos softly to the cat, rubbing a full palm on his side. Sergio purrs in delight, flipping over until his belly was up, his paws curled up as the blonde lightly scratches her nails through his soft fur.

"You three are inflating his ego, I swear," Emily teases her colleagues. "You should see him after you leave— he struts around like he owns the place."

"Oh, he deserves ever single bit of attention we give him," Tara replies with a smirk.

"Especially me," JJ insists with an innocent grin. "I need to make up for the months I've neglected to give this guy his tummy rubs."

JJ had been on maternity leave for the past few months after she gave birth to Michael. She hadn't been to a girl's night since the last one before she had gone into labor—tonight was her first one since that night.

The unit chief cracks a smile, palms hp in surrender. "Okay, okay, fine. But don't complain when he begs for more by biting your fingers."

"He would never, would you, buddy?" JJ murmurs to the cat in her lap, who responds by head butting her hand.

"Traitor," Emily tells him childishly, causing a laugh to pass through the group before they continue normal conversation for the next few hours.

JJ's comment lingers with Emily for a while, though. She wonders if that's what has bothering the blonde almost all night, being away from the boys for a few hours when she had endless time with them for a few months. It would explain her behavior, why she's not entirely there.

So it really does confuse her when Tara and Garcia stand up to leave and JJ stays behind on the couch, absentmindedly stroking behind Sergio's ears. "You coming, sugarplum? Do you need a ride?" Penelope offers, turning to face the other blonde.

JJ flashes her a small, reassuring smile. "No, it's okay. I'm gonna get a few more minutes of kitty cuddles before I head off, if it's alright with you, Em?"

Emily is surprised by the question, at the blonde's insistence to stay just a bit longer. Smiling to cover up her confusion, Emily nods, "Of course. Stay as long as you want and get all the love you need."

After ensuring Tara and Penelope get safely into their cars and get out on the road, Emily heads back inside.

She stops in the doorway, silently observing the remaining woman on her couch.

Her glass of sparkling juice (something Emily pulled out for the night instead of opting for the usual red or white wine) sat full on the coffee table in front of her. Her legs were tucked up under her, her head resting on her palm her propped up with her elbow on the arm of the furniture. The fake smile that had been plastered on her face all night was gone. Her eyes were dulled, her finger movements in Sergio's fur distracted as her thoughts consume her.

Emily wonders if her mask is gone because JJ trusts her enough to be this vulnerable around her, so open. Or maybe it's because Emily's always seemed to be able to read her like an open book, and since that flight they took together to Paris, JJ's able to read her. It would be pointless to try to keep anything to themselves when they both know when the other is trying to hide something.

Slowly walking back over to her living room and sitting on the opposite end of the couch, the brunette mirrors the blonde's posture. "You don't have to talk about it," she speaks up softly. "And I know it's not much, but I am here for you."

Cracking a slight smile, JJ murmurs back, "I know. And that's always been enough." She sighs as Sergio meows impatiently at her, scratching dull nails through the fur on his stomach. "I dropped the boys off at Will's before I came over here tonight. He has both of them for the next week. Which is good, believe me. I'm glad he does. He deserves to see them just as much as I do," she adds in quickly.

"But...?" Emily presses gently.

The blonde adjusts herself so that she's facing Emily and resting her cheek on the back cushions of the couch. "It was always easy when Henry went over to his house for a week at a time because I was pregnant. I was alone but... not really, if that makes sense. Will's been coming over during the day to spend a few hours with Michael every few days or so because we didn't want to move him around too often while he was too young. Even if Henry was over at his place, I still had Michael in the house with me. But... now..."

She stops after this, dropping her gaze from the brunette and focusing once more on the black cat in her lap, scratching the side of his neck when he reaches up and rubs his face against her cheek.

She can't bring herself to say anything out loud because it seems so childish. She's a trained FBI agent, for god sake, she shouldn't be afraid of staying inside her empty house. But the thought of going home, of not hearing her infant son cry out for her, or Henry's loud, rambunctious yelling, actually makes her blood run cold.

She supposes this is something that came about after her abduction; she can't stand the thought of being alone. The silent atmosphere she would face as soon as she would walk through her door makes her feel on edge. She knows she has to go home eventually, but she also knows that once she does, she won't get any sleep. Not until her children are back, until she's assured she's not alone.

She blinks slowly, coming back to reality when she feels Emily's hand resting firmly on her shoulder. "Jayje..."

It's only after that, hearing Emily's sympathetic tone that she realizes she's crying; she hadn't even felt the tears start to well up in her eyes. Lifting a hand and wiping the droplets away with the back of her finger, JJ sniffs softly, apologizing quietly.

"No need," Emily murmurs soothingly, hand rubbing small, soothing circles on the blonde's back. "Why don't you stay the night?"

"Em, no," JJ refuses almost immediately, shaking her head. "I'll be okay, really. I knew that I would be home alone eventually."

"So, why start tonight?" Emily asks gently. "You're clearly not comfortable with it."

"I don't want to intrude any more on your night than I already have," the blonde insists.

"Please, you're certainly some of the best company I have. Besides, I don't have anything important I needed to do. Unless you count watching reruns on the Food Network as important," Emily teases gently, ducking her head to meet JJ's gaze. "I have a spare bedroom and extra pajamas you can borrow. Stay the night. I'm insisting."

The blonde is silent for a few more moments, considering the unit chief's offer. "Reruns of what show?"

Emily, unable to help herself, smiles at the question. "It depends on what's on. Though, seeing as tonight is Friday, it's most likely Chopped."

A small smile forms on the younger woman's face. "Well, I _am_ more of an Iron Chef fan, but Chopped is great too."

"Good," the brunette grins, standing up from the couch.

"Where are you going?" JJ questions, a full smile breaking out on her face as she watches the normally stoic unit chief do a half jog/sprint to the kitchen with emptied wine glasses. It made her think of the days back when Emily had first joined the unit, comforted her in a way that that side of Emily never seemed to disappear.

"Well, we can't very well binge watch a competitive cooking show in our work clothes, can we?" Snapping her fingers and grasping on the banister of the stairs, Emily turns quickly back to the blonde on the couch. "T-shirt and sweatpants good for you?"

"Now I really don't know what's more surprising to me: that little jog you did back there to the kitchen or the fact that you own _sweatpants_ ," JJ laughs, eyes shining with amusement.

"Gotta keep somethings a surprise to keep you on your toes there, Agent," Emily teases, disappearing up the stairs.

"She's crazy," JJ murmurs to Sergio, who had resumed his position back on her lap. He blinks up at her, releasing a tiny meow. Chuckling lightly to herself, she continues, "Yeah, she is pretty great."

"Keep talking, I like what I'm hearing."

Grinning, JJ peers upside down at Emily by leaning her head back over the edge of the couch, focusing on her face rather than long, pale legs that seemingly go on forever. "And yet you say it's the _cat_ that has the inflated ego."

"I never said that I didn't have one, too," the brunette smirks, laying a neat pile of clothes carefully by JJ's head. "You okay with Chinese takeout for dinner?" Before the younger woman can protest, she adds, "I'm not _not_ going to feed you. We're both hungry anyway."

"Can I at least pay for it? Since you're letting me stay?"

"Nope," Emily grins, popping the "p".

Groaning playfully, JJ grabs the clothes by her head with an exasperated sigh. "Fine. You're so stubborn," she mumbles.

"It's my middle name!" the brunette replies proudly, picking up her phone. "Your usual?"

"That's fine," the younger women answers, carefully moving Sergio out of her lap to get up. When he protests, quite loudly, she gently consoles him with generous rub behind his ears. Looking at the graphics on the t-shirt in her arms, she raises an eyebrow and grins over at Emily. "Rage Against the Machine, huh? Who knew you were such a metalhead."

"You are _so_ not allowed to make fun of me for that around the office," the brunette responds with a grin of her own, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear before dialing up the restaurant.

"Just in private, gotcha," JJ laughs before heading to the nearest bathroom to change.

They're sitting cross legged by each other on the couch, knees just barely pressing together, empty Chinese takeout containers with chopsticks poking from the top laying on the coffee table. Around an hour ago, Emily had grabbed a blanket and thrown it over her frame, scowling and swatting playfully when the younger woman teases her for it before the cooking show captures their attention once more.

JJ had to admit, it was nice to be here with Emily. It beat being at home alone, certainly, but she can't help but feel completely comfortable being with the older woman, especially seeing her like this.

She's dressed a loose tour t-shirt from a band who's logo has long since chipped away with age, with a v-neck that hangs low, exposing the dip of her clavicle and shorts that barely poke out the bottom of the shirt, a drastic change from the blazers, suit jackets and pants she wears at work. Her hair is down, carelessly brushed over one shoulder instead of neatly styled or up in a ponytail. Her eyes are glued to the television in intense fascination, spoon full of vanilla ice cream (JJ's favorite) from the small tub shared between them disappearing between her lips.

She's relaxed, much more mellow than JJ ever remembers seeing her. It's a nice change, and something the blonde knows Emily wouldn't do for just anyone; she would never let her guard down _this_ around the rest of the team.

She certainly considers herself lucky that the brunette trusts her enough to be like this with her.

"Her cakes are undercooked," Emily suddenly gasps, snapping the blonde from her thoughts and nearly causing her to choke on her own spoon.

"How can you tell?" JJ asks after a brief pause, forcing herself to swallow the bite she had just scooped into her mouth. A shiver passes through her body at the action.

The older woman gently throws the other end of the blanket wordlessly over her friend, forcing them closer together than they already were. Releasing a tiny squeak at the feeling of a cold container of ice cream pressing against her leg, Emily picks it up and points towards the tv with her spoon. "You see the way they jiggle in the ramekins like that? _Way_ undercooked," she points out in dismay.

Hissing between her teeth, JJ gets another spoonful of ice cream and shakes her head in disappointment. "Damn, that's unfortunate. I thought she was doing well, and I _really_ don't want the other guy to win. He has way too much swagger, and he's way too cocky for someone that forgot a basket ingredient... twice!"

"And he overcooked the lamb so badly in the entree round, he practically killed it again!" the older woman exclaims softly. "How the hell is he still _here_? I still say she has a chance!"

Meowing from the place on JJ's lap, Sergio's tail wags slowly in the air, as if expressing his own annoyance.

Tilting her head to the side slightly, the blonde hums uncertainly as she strokes through the cat's fur, "I don't know, 2/3s of the judges panel is is Chris and Marc. They're pretty harsh."

Scowling as if she just remembered that fact, Emily swears under her breath. "Damn! I swear, if this guy ends up winning, I'm rioting."

They both look over at each other and burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of their conversation, at how seriously they are about a most likely staged television show.

"What are we doing?" Emily asks through a series of giggles, wiping the corners of her eyes and leaning back into the couch.

"I _can't_ believe you said that about his lamb!" JJ exclaims breathlessly, squeaking when Sergio suddenly bolts from her lap and settles on the staircase.

"What? In my defense, it's _true._ The cook on that thing was abysmal!" the brunette insists with her palms up in mock surrender.

Gasping through giggle, the blonde desperately wipes at her eyes. "Stop! You sound _exactly_ like Gordon Ramsay with those kinds of insults."

Smirking, and with the worst attempt at the world class chef's accent, Emily exclaims quietly, "It's _fucking_ overcooked, you _donut_!"

"You lived in London for over almost two years and you never managed to pick up the accent?" JJ wheezes, leaning her forehead on Emily's shoulder as she calms herself down.

"I'm absolutely terrible at picking up accents. Besides, I'm pretty sure Gordon is from Scotland," Emily teases, settling herself down with a long sigh. Looking over at the blonde, she asks softly, "You okay?"

JJ hums contently. She feels great, better about the night than she did originally. She knows Emily has done a lot to keep her mind from straying towards the dark, negative thoughts that would have certainly plagued her mind should she had actually gone home. The amount of effort the brunette put in, even if she insists its minimal, is enough to make JJ feel extremely grateful, not for the first time and most definitely not the last, that Emily Prentiss is in her life.

"Yeah, I'm okay." A brief pause, then, even softer, "Thank you."

"You're always welcome to stay here, Jayje," the brunette assures her just as softly. "You never have to thank me for that."

Shaking her head slightly, JJ elaborates, "It's not just that. It's for... just being you." She turns her head so it's resting comfortably on Emily's shoulder.

Slowly, hesitantly, the older woman wraps an arm around the blonde's waist, relaxing when JJ leans into her more.

Quietly, she responds, "Anything for you," before they're both drawn back to the competitive cooking show on the television.

From the staircase, Sergio blinks slowly at the two women. He purrs softly at the peaceful, content atmosphere, the feeling of calm that drifts from the two. Releasing a yawn, he closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep.


End file.
